Abby Carson is in endanger of failing the sixth grade and she will be held back to repeat the sixth grade if she does not shape up. She meets with her teachers and they decide that if she gets “B’s” on all of her quizzes and tests plus creates an “Extra Credit” assignment then she will be promoted to the seventh grade. Abby decides to become a pen-pal to another student in a foreign country.

Abby chooses a student in Afghanistan because she loves mountains and the country is very mountainous. Abby’s first letter arrives in a small village near the Hindu Kush mountains. The boy’s name is Sadeed. Sadeed was chosen by his village because he is the best writer in the village and he hungers to read any English language book. But in Sadeed’s culture a young man is not allowed to have contact with a young girl especially not an American. The village elders decide that Sadeed will help write the letters and his sister, Amira will sign her name, so it is proper. Every week, Abby and Sadeed exchange letters telling each other about their different cultures and they become fast friends.

One day, Sadeed is walking home from school and he is confronted by a man who threatens him after he sees Abby’s latest letter with the American stamps on the letter. He starts to chase Sadeed, so he runs and tells his father and all of the village elders about this “rebel” force in the outskirts of town. Violence breaks out and the town is put on high alert and as a result, Sadeed is told to stop writing letters to Abby in America.

Abby learns of this and she is disappointed because she was really getting excited about reading Amira and Sadeed’s letters. Abby understands why Sadeed had to stop sending letters so she sends one more letter telling him goodbye and that she would like to visit his country. When he gets the chance he should come to her country one day to visit.

Contributed by A. Phillips